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How much does it cost to run a MacBook Pro?

M

Merkava_4

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
One of my relatives (Mom) says the reason my power bill is so high is because I'm always using the computer. Say if a person was using their MacBook Pro for 6 hours a day everyday, how much would that cost at the end of the month? 😕
 
I'd guess about $2.50 based on a 33c Kilowatt hour for a 13", assuming little if any processor intensive processes and medium screen brightness.

The Mac Pro and the old Powermac on the other hand...
 
Depending on size say 15" max you could use is 95w

@ $0.30 a kwh and running at a max of 95w for a full six hours you would burn through $5.31 monthly or $64 a year

Normal use (45w) will cost on average $2.52 monthly or $30 a year

Obviously that's based on a .30c kwh cost
 
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I think your high utility problems lie elsewhere. If available, check out your utility usage online. My utility company provides online account access and there's a rather interesting breakdown shown there.
 
The MBP will use up to 95W or so(if you use all the available computing power), so if you ran this 24/7 at max processing power while charging, you're still using less electricity than a single 100W bulb left on all the time.

Thus, it is safe to say your mom knows next to nothing about electricity. Tell her to turn off the TV when she's not using it, flick the lights off when she leaves a room, use the drier less, etc... Those would all have more effect on your utility bill than your computer use.
 
7DSniper said:
Sounds like your mom wants you off the computer and outside doing something more productive.
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Hold your horses! This could be Mark Zuckerberg for all you know. In which case I doubt he can be more productive outside, playing the neighbourhood squirrel.
 
Desktop Computer & 17" CRT monitor -150-340 watts
Desktop Computer & Monitor (in sleep mode) - 1-20 watts
17" CRT monitor - 90 watts
17" LCD monitor - 40 watts
Laptop computer - 45 watts
50-56" Plasma television - 191-474 watts
50-56" LCD television - 210-322 watts
50-56" DLP television - 150-206 watts
42" Plasma television - 188-464 watts
42" LCD television - 91-236 watts
32" LCD television - 98-156 watts
HD cable box (varies by model) - 45 watts
PS3 - 194 watts
Xbox 360 - 185 watts
Xbox - 70 watts
PS2 - 30 watts
Nintendo Wii - 18 watts


Your laptop isn't the reason the electricity bill is high, though it does contribute to it. Rather than singling one thing out, make sure you (and your mom)

turn off lights when not in the room
don't leave device plugged in/charging when not in use or need charging
dedicate a power strip (or 2) to tv/consoles/accessories that you can flip off when you leave the house, go to bed, or aren't going to be using it for more than 30 minutes

These things net me about a $70 electric bill per month with one other person living in the house as well as not wasting electricity, which is unnecessary for a multitude of reasons.

*"How much that costs" is difficult as most electric costs are locally based, not nationally. Check with your power company if they have usage broken down by category.
 
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Interstella5555 said:
dedicate a power strip (or 2) to tv/consoles/accessories that you can flip off when you leave the house, go to bed, or aren't going to be using it for more than 30 minutes
Click to expand...

The problem with this step is that many cable boxes take as much as 30 minutes to boot when power has been turned off (or it's been unplugged) and then restored. Plus, if it's a DVR it can't record if it's not powered. Fine, you didn't specify cable box or DVR in the list of items to switch off with that power strip, but it could be included in the "accessories" designation.

I guess the question needs to be asked, what is "too high" for your power bill? Here's what I can think of in my place:
custom-built gaming PC with 19" monitor. in standby (less than 20w draw) for 18 hours a day on weekdays and maybe 300w draw (based on the readout on my UPS) when gaming
2 TVs, a 37" LG and a 15" Element, the LG has a DVR connected, the Element has a digital box. 6-8 hours of "on-time" for the LG (usually just background noise), 2 hours for the Element.
Refrigerator
A/C in the summer
I have a laptop that actually just stays plugged in all the time usually, for use while watching TV
5-6 loads of laundry (wash and dry) every week

My power bill is less than $80 a month. I'm on budget billing so my usage is averaged across the whole year, preventing spikes to $150 during peak A/C usage. When I'm not home, there's hardly any draw, except for the refrigerator and the A/C if needed. When I'm home, I usually have lights on in 3 rooms (all CFLs though), my TV on and my gaming machine at least running (120w or so when running but idle).
 
mac-collector said:
Hold your horses! This could be Mark Zuckerberg for all you know. In which case I doubt he can be more productive outside, playing the neighbourhood squirrel.
Click to expand...

Zuckerberg is nearly 30 years old. I don't get why people constantly refer to him as a kid. Are people here really that old to reference 28 as being a kid? I've also seen plenty of 50-something wearing hoodies and sneakers, if that's the basis for evaluation...
 
The power used by a modern laptop is small compared to devices like fridges, dryers, TVs, and lighting a room with ordinary light bulbs.

Still, I think the consumption can be higher than the 85W (for the 15'' model) that the power supply provides to the laptop. The efficiency of the power supply is close to 90%, which is very good, but puts the maximal power usage closer to 95W.
 
myrtlebee said:
Zuckerberg is nearly 30 years old. I don't get why people constantly refer to him as a kid. Are people here really that old to reference 28 as being a kid? I've also seen plenty of 50-something wearing hoodies and sneakers, if that's the basis for evaluation...
Click to expand...

I was looking for someone famous who had made billions in the computer industry. There are a handful of them, but few as famous as Zuckerberg. And since the OP mentioned his mother I picked the youngest I could think of, simple as that. I never referred to him as a kid and I happen to know that his mother is still alive, something that can't be said about some of the 50+ billionaires.

And please don't take your midlife-crisis-rage out on me.
 
mac-collector said:
I was looking for someone famous who had made billions in the computer industry. There are a handful of them, but few as famous as Zuckerberg. And since the OP mentioned his mother I picked the youngest I could think of, simple as that. I never referred to him as a kid and I happen to know that his mother is still alive, something that can't be said about some of the 50+ billionaires.

And please don't take your midlife-crisis-rage out on me.
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I was simply implying that people were pointing him out as excessively young with the "playing outside" and "mom" comments, and so many others consider him a kid... which at 30 is just bizarre unless said people are themselves pushing 60.

& Mid-life crisis? Huh? I'm in my 20s. I hope I'm not mid-life!
 
myrtlebee said:
I was simply implying that people were pointing him out as excessively young with the "playing outside" and "mom" comments, and so many others consider him a kid... which at 30 is just bizarre unless said people are themselves pushing 60.

& Mid-life crisis? Huh? I'm in my 20s. I hope I'm not mid-life!
Click to expand...

You're quite right, Zuckerberg is no longer a kid, now that he is in his 20s he is getting old. I would say he is reaching is mid-life.
 
hallux said:
The problem with this step is that many cable boxes take as much as 30 minutes to boot when power has been turned off (or it's been unplugged) and then restored. Plus, if it's a DVR it can't record if it's not powered. Fine, you didn't specify cable box or DVR in the list of items to switch off with that power strip, but it could be included in the "accessories" designation.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, you're correct, I don't have cable so I'm not sure how that works, though my buddy's comcast box seemed pretty snappy the other day when I kept accidentally turning it on and off 🙂. Additionally, my router is plugged in separately and I never unplug that one. I mean, there's reason in there as well, but it's not an all or nothing thing, every bit you can reduce helps.
 
Perhaps invest in a new fridge (seriously).

I live in a somewhat older apartment with a somewhat older fridge. I left for a month and only left my fridge plugged in (unplugged everything else). It legitimately cost more than half of my average electricity bill 😱

And I constantly have an iMac and MacBook Air running, with an Xbox 360 and 50in LCD running quite frequently as well. An MBP really doesn't cost too much, so your mother should look elsewhere for power-sucking electronics/appliances.
 
Ahh yes, it seems that the macbook pro is the major factor in electricity usage over that of a 55" LCD tv.

But on a serious note, it doesnt take much power to really run a MBP. I'm sure your mom is no expert on electricity and probably wishes you to be off of the comp more.
 
It's useful to start figuring things in how many lightbulbs it "costs" so a mbp would be .8 of a 100 watt light bulb. My Mac pro is about five light bulbs. Ac, electric ranges, tvs, dryers, fridges, and washers all use many times more electricity than a mbp. Heck, a room with four light bulbs like in a common ceiling fan is single handedly killing forrests compared to a mbp.

Switch just a few lights to led or cfl bulbs and you can tell her your mbp usage is paid for.
 
you'd need to swap more than just a few lights, 'cause how many people really use 100W globes indoors, we had nothing over 65-70W for interior lighting before we switched to CFL's (which are of equivalent brightness at about 15W)

but like most people have been saying the MBP is probably the most efficient device in your house
 
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